Pump



GEORGE W; WRIGHT, F LOS ANGELES, CAMEQRNXA.

agrarias.

Speciication of Lettersatent. Paitgmdl Jun@ lg, 11922 .application meaApril a5, real.A serial No. reame.

T all whom t may concer/1,.' y

Be it known that I, GEORGE fw. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States,residingin Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Pumps, of which the following isa specification.

This invention has to do with a pump and more particularly with a wellpump of the .general type used in oil wells, etc-and an object of theinvention is to provide .improvements in a pump of this character suchas will render it veifiective and durable.

1n pumping oil from wells great difficulty is experienced in keeping theworking parts of the pumps in good operating condition and in keepingthev plungers of the pumps packed so that the pumps will be effective.These diiiculties are due mainly by the working parts becoming quicklyworn by sand and gritty substances Operating under great pressure; orparts of the pump being sprung or strained beyond the point that theconstructionwill stand; but more particularly to the absence of meansfor effectively and properly renewing andkeeping packing at thenecessary parts.

A particular feature of the present invention,is. the provision of apump which will operate in a well under ordinary working conditionswithout parts becomingl excessively` worn or scored. 'llheinventionprovides a pump structure wherein certain of the parts are selfcentering and are not rigidly and immovably arranged. 1t strains comeupon the` llunger to temporarily flex it slightly out @Fshape thepacking through which it is operating conforms thereto and will not bindon it to cause freezing of the pump or injury to its parts.

A' distinctiveA feature of the invention is the provision of means forthe storage of reserve 4packing away from contact with the plunger, and.'forkeeping the operative packing eiectively on ythe plunger. By thelinvention the packing is kept under uniform pressure along the plunger,thereby causing it to wear evenly and uniformly, and upon wearing of thepacking new packing is fed into place s0 that the joint is properlymaintained.

The various objects and features of the invention will be best and morefully understood fromv the following detailed description of a specificpreferred embodiment of the invention throughout which reference is hadto the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. 1 is a view of the pumpprovided by vthe present invention, showing it as it would appear in thetypical well casing.; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional View of theupper portion, or halt', of the pump; and F ig. 3 is an enlargeddetailed sectional view similar to Fig. 2 of the lower portion, orhalf,of the pump.

Throughout the drawings numeral desi ates 'a well casing in :which isarranged t e pump 11. The pump 11 is carried at the lower end of a tube12 and is adapted to be operated by a sucker rod 13. The pump 1'1comprises, generally, a pump barrel la, a plunger 15 carried in the pumpbarrel 1a by suitable packing, a casing 16 mounted at the lower end ofthe pump barrel 14 to form a pump chamber, and suitable inlet anddischarge valves. The pump barrel 14 `is carried or supported by thetube 12, while the plunger 15 is supported or carried by the sucker rod13. The flowered into the casing 10 by lowerin of the tube 12 and suckerrod 13 is adapte to be operated by u anddown movement of the sucker rod.l hen the sucker rod 13 lis at the upper end of its movement, or stroke,the plunger 15 is ,at the upper end of its stroke, or, is in theposition shown in lB ig. 1 of the drawings. "With the plunger at theupper end 0f its stroke the sucker rod socket 17. which connects theplunger 15 and sucker rod 13,'is at, or near, the extreme upper end ofthe pump barrel, or is in the vicinity of the coupling 18 whichv`connects the uppermost sections 19 ofthe pum barrel with the tube 12,While the lower en of the plunger is at, or close to. the lower end ofthe pump barrel. or is near the point of connection between tlie lowerend of the pump barrel and casing 16. `When the sucker rod 13 is at thelower end of its movement, or stroke,

`the plunger 15 is at the lower end of its stroke and the sucker rodsocket 17 is at the lower end of the section 19, or is near the coupling20 which connects the sections 19 and 21 of the pump b arrel` while thelower end of the plunger 15 is at, or near,

the lower endet the casing 16. The intake valve 22 of the 'pump ismounted in the pump is adapted to beI lower end of the casing 16,-,whilethe discharge valve 23 is mounted in the lower end of the plunger Upwardmovement of the plunger 15 causes liquid standing in the casing 1() tobe drawn into the casing 16 through the intake valve 22, while downwardmovement of the plunger 15 causes the liquid previously drawn into thecasing 16 to enter the plunger 15 through valve 23, and thereby causesliquid previously admitted into the plunger 15 to be carried upwardly inthe plunger 15 and forced out of the well through the tube 12..

The structure hereinsofar described is more or less common to, ortypical of, pumps of this general character and is herein set forthprincipally'for the purpose of illustrating a form or type of `pump inwhich the present invention is adapted to be embodied. The inventionrelates more specifically to the packing means within the barrel 14which allows free reciprocatory lmovement of' the plunger 15v in themanner above described at the same time sealin or completely separatingthe upper portion of the pump barrel and tube 12 from the casing 16 'iso that there is no flow of air or liquid between the casing 16 andupper end of the barrel 14 except through the plunger 15.

The pump barrel 14 comprises a plurality of sections 19. 21, 24, 25, 26and 27 connected by vsuitable couplings 18, 20, 28, 29, 30 and 31. Theplunger 15 is a straight continuous cylindrical member considerablysmaller in diameter than the sections of' the barrel so as to fit withinthe barrel with considerable clearance. The uppermost section '19 ot thebarrel is considerably longer than any of' the other sections and isprovided pri-v marily to form a chamber or space for the suckerrodsocket 17 toobe carried in. rThe section 19 and the casing 16 are ofpractically the same length and are sufficiently long to accommodate thelength of stroke of the plunger.

The packing for the plunger commences at the coupling 2() and continuesdownwardly through the barrel to its extreme lower end. rlhe coupling 20is formed with an inwardly extending flange 32 adapted to be between theends of the sections 19 and 21 and formed' `with an opening or bore 33adapted to more or less accurately fit ,the

plunger'1'5. "The plungerl preferably fitsv the bore 33 with workingclearance, that is, tightly enough so that sand or foreign matter willnot pass betweenA the plunger and fiange and loosely enough so that theplunger cannot, or will not, jam `or become gripped inthe. bore. Thelower surface or side34 of the flange 32 extends straight inwardly fromthe main portion ofthe coupling to the plunger while the upper side 35extends upwardly and inwardly from themain portion of the coupling 20 tothe pluntareas@ ;from the plunger and the joint between the plunger, andthe flange' and thereby minimizes the possibility ofsandentering'between the plunger and the flange.

A metal ring 36 is arranged in the barrel section 21 below the flange23, and rings 'of hard packing 37, preferably of leather, are arrangedbetween the flange 32 and the metal ring 36. In 'practice it has beenfoundy that leather can be advantageously used as the packing 37. Thering 36 fits moreor less freely in the lsection -V21 and carries asleeve 38I which fits 'around the plunger 15 with working clearanceandextends considerable distancedownwardly from the ring 36, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. rlhe ring'36 pressed tightly againstthe packing 37 by a compression spring 39 arranged in the space 40formed between the section 21 and the sleeve 38. The lower end of thecompression 'spring seats on` a ring 41 preferably of leather, whichbears against, or is carried on, the upper end l lof reserve packing 42carried between the tween the section 24 and the plunger 15, as clearlyshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.y Fronnspection of the drawings it willbe noted that the section 24 has a portion`4'45 extending inwardlytoward the plunger and havinga portion fitting more or less accuratelyor closely around the plunger 15 and that the upper` side or surface 46of thel portion 45 is curved so that the space between it and theyplunger narrows from the point where the portion 45 begins, yto thepoint where it engages the plunger. this particular construction shownin the drawings the portion 4 5 actually begins at the extreme upper endof the section. From inspection of the drawings is just below the end ofthe sleeve 38 and bel it will be seen that the lower end ot the release.of thecompression spring 39. As the -operative packing 43, between'thelower end of- 4inner wall 46 of portion 45. As will be noted from thedrawings, the surface 46 of the'portion 45iscurved gradually between theupper end of the section and the middle portion thereof, and forms nocornersor pockets in which the packing can lodge or be caught so that itwill not be properly fed to the plunger in the manner above described.In practiceit has been found that good results are had when the wall 46is curved substantially as shown in the drawings and that satisfactoryresults cannot be obtained if the wall 46 is merely slightly tapered atthe upper end portion and sharply curved at the lower end portion.

In operation, the spring 39 causes the packing 37 to be tightly heldbetween the ring 36 and flange 32, and holds the ring 41 tightly againstthe reserve packing 42 causing the operative packing 43 to be held inpressure engagement with the plunger 15. The formation of theopeningwhich carries the packing, that. is the size of the opening andalso the shape of the walls of the opening, is such as to cause theoperative portion 43 of the packing to bear against the plunger 15 withuniform pressure at all parts and causes the reserve packing toeffectively take the place of the operative packing as it is worn awayso that an eHectivejoint is maintained. ln practice when the pump isassembled the space 40 in which the spring 39 is carried is filled withoil so that the packings will be kept soft and pliable and so that theplunger will be kept pro erly lubricated. rlhe ring 36 in fitting freein the section ,21 allows the sleeve 38. whic fits more or lessaccurately 'around the plunger 15, to be self-centering relative to theplunger.` The ring 36 being supported between the spr/ing 39 and thepacking 37 allows more or less. tilting movement of the sleeve 38' andthereby allows the sleeve 38 to have endwise tiltingy movement `.in theevent that the plunger 15 is temporarily flexed out of 'alinement lnother words, the mounting of the ring 36 and the fitting of the ring 36and sleeve 38 is such as to allowk the sleeve 38 more lorless universalmove ment so that it will not pinch or bind on the plunger underanyordinary operating coni ditions. lin practice', the plunger 15 is moreor less continuously subjected to tempbrarily deformation or'flexturedue to the shock and vibration set up by the action ofthe pump.

ra hard packing Deformation or flexture of this character is notinjurious -to short bearings such as are provided by theflange 32 and bythe portion 45 but they are injurious to long vbearing parts such as areafforded by the sleeve 38.- However, when the long bearing parts aresupported in the manner provided by this invention they will move with,or be carried by, the Iplunger sufiiciently to prevent binding or otherinjurious action.

In accordance with the present invention the surface 46a at the lowerside of the portion 45 extends from that portion ofi' the portion 45which engages the plunger to the extreme lower end of the section 24 andcorresponds in 'curvature to the surfacev 46. Packing 50, similar to thepacking 43, is carried `between the surface 46n and the plunger and isin connection with the reserve packing 42a carried between the upper endportion of a sleeve 53, similar to the sleeve 38,l

and the section 25. The sleeve 53 extends u wardly from a ring 52,similar to the ring v36, while the reserve packing is adapted to be fedupwardlyto replace the operative packing() by a compression spring 54arranged in space 40a to engage ring 41a and ring 52. `'llhe ring 52 iscarried on pack- 5 ing 51' 'which engagesa flange 55, which extendsinwardly from the coupling 30. From inspection of the drawing it will beseen that the arrangement and proportioning of the parts just describedare substantially the same as that of the parts between the portion 45and the flange 32except that they` are in inverted relation orarrangement. The action of the parts just described is the same as thatof the parts first described.

Y At the underside of the flange 55 there is 57 like the hard packings37 and.51, hel against the flange 55 byv a ring 58, like the'rings 3,6and 52, pressed upwardly/by spring `59, like springs 39 and 54. The ring58 carries a downwardly extending sleeve 60, while the spring 59 pressesdownwardly on reserve packing 6l which is continuous with operativepacking 62 carried between the plunger 15 and theinner wall 63 oftheportion 45a of section 2,7. The packing apparatus between the fiange 55and the section 27 is identical in all respects with that between theJflange 32 and portion 45 of section 24.

From the foregoing description it will be understood how there arepreferably three distinct sets of softl packings, two fed downwardly byspring-action and'one fed upwardly by spring action, and it'will beunderstood how each of the parkings operates in the same manner.

1n practice this arrangement of pdckings herein set forth isparticularly effective and durable. Liquid or air to leak past theplunger and barrel must pass the flange 32. the hard packing 37, thepacking 43, the

portion .45, the packing 50, the hard pack' v obvious that such leakageis practically impossible if the various parts just enumerated are inproper working condition. By the construction and arrangement providedby the invention the necessary parts will operate properly andeffectively when in good condition and will remain in good operativecondition for a long period of time under ordinary working conditions.I-Iaving set forth only a preferred embodiment of my invention I do notwish to specifically limit myself to the details hereinset forth 'butwlsh to reserve to myself any changes or modifications which may appearto those. skilled in the art or which may fall within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Having described'a preferred form of myv invention, I claim:

' 1. In a pump of the character described embodying a barrel and aplunger therein, packing means between vthe barrel and plungercomprising, a' stationary member carried by the barrel between it andthe plunger, a yring around the plunger and within the barrel, packingaround the plunger between the stationary member and the ring, anextension on the ring extend Aing4 around the plunger and through thebarrel, active packing around the plunger beyond the end of theextension, reserye packing around the extensionand adjacent to theactive packing, and means between l the extension and the'barrel topress the ring against the first mentioned packing and to press thereserve packing toward the active packing.

2. lIn a pump of the character described embodying a barrel anda plungertherein,

packing means between the plungerand the .barrel comprising, an inwardlyextend-` ing member on the barrel, a ring around the plunger within thebarrel, said ring fitting the barrel ',and plunger with clearance,

packing between the barrel andthe plunger l y and between the inwardlyextending member and the ring, a sleeve like extension on packing aroundthe plunger between the end of the extension and said part, reservepacking around the end portion of the extension and continuous with theactive packing, and a spring at Athe extension and under compressionbetween the ring and-. reserve packing.

B In a pump of the character described embodying a barrel and a plungertherein, packing means between the plunger andthe lbarrel comprising aflange extending in-` the ring extending around the plunger and throughthe barrel, a vpart on, the barrel"` beyond the end of thel extensionextend ing inwardly toward the' plunger, actlve release and the plungerand between the iiange and 'the ring, a sleeve extending from the ringthrough the barrel and around the plunger,

the sleeve fitting this plunger with'working clearance, an inwardlyextending portion on the barrelbeyond the end ofthe sleeve shaped sothatfthe space between it and 4plunger decreases in width from the endof the sleeve to a point where said portion fits the plunger withworking clearance, active packing, in said space, reserve packing aroundthe end portion of the sleeve continuous with the active packing andadapted to replace the active packing, and a compression spring aroundthe sleeve and between the ring and the 'reserve packing.

4L. In a pump of the character described embodying a barrel and avplunger therein, packing means between the vbarrel and plungercomprising a sleeve fitting around the plunger with working. clearanceand 'within the barrel with substantial clearance, an inwardly extendingpart on the 'where' said part fits the plunger with working clearance,rpacking between the sleeve and the barrell andextending between saidpart and the plunger, land means for feeding the packing from betweenthe sleeve and thebarrel to replace packing worn away the plunger. i

5. 'Ine pump of the" character described embodylng a barrel` and a.plunger therein,

,packing means between? the barrel and plunger comprising :a Ysleevefitting around the vplunger with working clearance and within the barrelwith substantial clear-y ance, means for yieldingly `holding the sleevestationar inwardly exten ing part on the barrel', said part at apoiritrimrnediately beyond Vone end' "of thesleeve and being shaped .sothat the space between it andthe plunger decreases in width in adirection away from l the sleeve to a point where said part fits theplunger with workin clearance, packing between the sleeve an the barreland extending between vsaid part and the plunger,

and a spring around the -sleeveto feed- 'the packingfvfrom jbetween thesleeve and the barrel 'toreplace packing worn away by the plunger." l f6. In a ,pump ofthel character described embodying a barrel and aplunger therein,

packing means. .between the barrel and plunger` comprislng a sleevefitting. the

lio

relative to the barrel, an

plungerl with werking clearance and the 130.

barrel with substantial eeranee, a part extendinlgnwardy from the barrelto the plunger ut u boint spaced from yone end of the sleeve. activepacking around the plunger between the end of the Sleeve zind Suhl pzut.reserve packing around the sleeve and adjacent the active packing. andmeans for feeding the reserve packing to take the place of the activepacking as it Wears away.

In witness that I Claim the foregoing have hereunto subscribed my namethis 26th day ot' October, 1920.

GEORGE YV. VRGHT. Witness:

VIRGINIA BERINGER.

